In a tense Western Conference bout on Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the LA Lakers in a nail-biter that took a dramatic turn following Luka Doncic’s ejection late in the game. The Slovenian guard was sent packing after receiving a second technical foul with just 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
This pivotal moment occurred when Doncic hit a close-range basket that put the Lakers ahead 108-107. However, in the aftermath of his shot, he reportedly directed some unflattering remarks towards a heckling fan in the audience, allegedly saying, ‘F*** you b****’ in reaction to the fan’s taunt of ‘short’ as he took the shot.
Luka Doncic was ejected after picking up a second technical foul. pic.twitter.com/NGL3O3rgfy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2025
Referee J.T. Orr, who had already issued Doncic a technical foul in the third quarter, interpreted the remarks as insulting towards an official rather than a fan. Consequently, he enforced a second technical foul, leading to Doncic’s untimely exit from the game.
Luka Doncic gets thrown out of the game for his second tech for mocking a fan. But the referee JT Orr thinks he’s talking to him.
Did the referee have a guilty conscience? pic.twitter.com/GOG5Rb0OLa
— Dr. Lös Real Polyamorous Tantric Sex Guru (@LosRealAli) April 9, 2025
The controversial call left Lakers commentators John Ireland and Michael Thompson appalled, with Ireland stating, “This is one of the worst pieces of officiating I have ever seen and I have done this for 25 years!”
👀 Luka Doncic ejected after being assessed his second technical foul on this play!
Did he deserve it? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0RbaXBO9vp
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 9, 2025
This incident drastically altered the game’s dynamics, allowing the Thunder to go on a 29-12 run, ultimately winning the match 136-120.
In the postgame assessments, LeBron James acknowledged that the game was irrevocably changed following the ejection. “The game was weird as h*** after that moment,” said James.
Fans took to social media to express their frustrations regarding the officiating, with some even speculating that Orr was intentionally trying to get Doncic thrown out.
The same official that ejected Luka Doncic walked directly up to Shai on the previous possession, covered his mouth to say something, then after Luka Doncic scores on the other end, he makes sure that he is in between he & a fan who had been talking trash all game.
SHARE THIS!! pic.twitter.com/d2OvepPJS5
— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_Of_The_Day) April 9, 2025
Addressing the media after the game, Doncic clarified that his comments were directed at the heckling fan and not the officials. “I’ve never got a fan ejected, never. But if he’s going to talk, I’m gonna talk back like always,” Luka explained. “That had nothing to do with the ref, so I really didn’t understand.”
However, the post-game pool report indicated that Luka’s remarks were interpreted as directed at one of the referees. Crew chief Tony Brothers stated, “He looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”
The pool report, conducted by Cliff Brunt of the AP, has JT Orr saying that Luka Doncic directed profanity toward an official twice, leading to the two technicals that earned him an ejection. pic.twitter.com/fh49up0SBU
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) April 9, 2025
The fan involved in the verbal exchange with Doncic has since been dubbed the “hero of the game” on social media.
The Lakers were up by 1 when Luka Doncic got ejected for talking to a fan.
Give this dude the game ball 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1g1Q7wlEI8
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) April 9, 2025
My picture with the man who got Luka Doncic ejected. 💀 https://t.co/HKnlkwGRtk pic.twitter.com/fHGBQAS2XC
— Addam M. Francisco (@SuaveCEO_) April 9, 2025
With the victory, the Thunder improved to an impressive 65-14 record, significantly ahead of the No. 2 seeded Houston Rockets by 13.0 games. Meanwhile, the Lakers maintained a competitive position at No. 3 with a 48-31 record, closely followed by four teams all within a game of them in the heated Western Conference playoff race.
LOL— Here’s Mark Daigneault of OKC congratulating the referees for ejecting Luka Doncic out of the game for trash talking a fan (which has never been a penalty) and says “I’d love to have them back” 😂😂
The NBA is a joke and ratings will continue to suffer until this is fixed. pic.twitter.com/QWXEMQywY0
— HeroOfTheDay (@Hero_Of_The_Day) April 9, 2025
As the regular season draws to a close with only three games remaining, the Lakers are set to take on the Mavericks in Dallas on Wednesday night. This match will hold significant implications for Doncic as he returns to the American Airlines Center looking for redemption at 7:30 PM ET, broadcasted on ESPN.
Image Source: Gametime Highlights @ YouTube
